The present invention relates to a bearing for the body of a sun visor used in a motor vehicle, particularly to the spring on the bearing which engages the spindle about which the visor body pivots and most particularly to the structure of such spring.
In order to be able to position a sun visor body at particular pivot orientations and to have the sun visor thereafter resist torque forces that would change the orientation of the visor, as, for example, when the visor has been raised to the up position, a spring is typically used to cooperate with and squeeze against the bearing spindle around which the visor body pivots. Typically, the spring cooperates with an appropriately deformed section of the bearing spindle, e.g., a flattened portion of an otherwise round cross-section bearing spindle.
Federal Republic of Germany Utility Model (Gebrauchsmuster) No. 7,304,223 shows a flat spring of U-shaped cross-section, both of whose legs press against flattened portions of the visor body bearing spindle. For reasons of cost and weight, the spring must be light. To ensure the spring exerts adequate pressure, the free ends of its legs are connected together, but in spaced apart relationship, by a rivet or slip-on connector. This connection of the legs, however, requires additional materials and pieces, additional manufacturing time for the pieces and additional emplacement time for the connections. In articles produced in great quantity, such as sun visors, this can be a high-cost factor.